World Journal of Acupuncture - Moxibustion · Published 2026-03-18 · DOI 10.1016/j.wjam.2026.03.005
Objective: To analyze the research status and hotspots, and evolutionary trend of publications on Jin’s three-needle therapy from 2000 to 2025, and to provide bibliometric evidence for the theoretical development and clinical expansion of this distinctive Lingnan (the area south of the Nanling Mountains in China) acupuncture-moxibustion therapy. Methods: Relevant publications on Jin’s three-needle therapy were retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Database, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database from January 1, 2000 to July 9, 2025. Two researchers independently screened and extracted data. Microsoft Excel was used for data management and disease spectrum analysis based on ICD-11 classification. CiteSpace software was employed to analyze publication trend, collaboration network, co-occurrence network, and keyword evolution. Results: A total of 1295 publications were included, showing an overall upward trend in annual output. Research mainly focused on diseases of the nervous system (45.17%), those of the musculoskeletal system or connective tissue (28.88%), and mental, behavioral or neurodevelopmental disorders (9.11%), accounting for over 80% in total. The study types were predominantly clinical research, the proportion of mechanistic research was relatively low, and mechanistic research was weak across all core fields. Collaboration network analysis revealed low density between authors and institutions, exhibiting a “core-edge” structure with Professor Rui JIN’ s inheritance team (Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine and its affiliated hospitals) as the core and widespread in periphery, demonstrating a distinct geographical clustering characteristic in the Lingnan region. Keyword evolution indicated that the research focus had expanded from neurological rehabilitation to multisystem diseases, and the attention had been drawn in multidimensional outcomes such as quality of life and motor function. Conclusion: The research scale of Jin’s three-needle therapy has significantly expanded, demonstrating a relatively concentrated application distribution across three major domains: neurological disorders, musculoskeletal or connective tissue diseases, and mental, behavioral, or neurodevelopmental disorders. However, there are some shortcomings in the research of diseases, such as insufficient exploration of mechanisms and limited cooperation between teams and institutions. Future efforts should focus on strengthening mechanism research, conducting multicenter trials, and expanding inter-institutional collaboration to establish a more comprehensive evidence-based foundation, thereby enhancing the clinical reproducibility and academic influence of Jin’s three-needle therapy.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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